


Third Wheel

by RomanceAddiction



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen, brief mention of Thea Queen, hints of Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-05 01:33:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1800574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanceAddiction/pseuds/RomanceAddiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She used to believe in true love, in love at first sight and all those fairy tales.</p><p>An exploration of Isabel Rochev's thoughts towards Robert Queen and Oliver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

  She didn't know how it had ended up like this. Well, it's not like people just sit down and decide," I want to ruin a marriage today."

  She used to believe in true love, in love at first sight and all those fairy tales.  

  So she's always had a thing for older men. Some would say it was due to some sort of daddy issues but Isabel scoffed at that. She'd had a relatively normal childhood, as normal as having a pair of lazy, alcoholic parents could be. Ok, so maybe she had some issues.  
When she had left Russia for America, she'd sworn to be the exact opposite of her parents. She would be rich and successful. Never again would she suffer living in squalor and poverty, living from paycheck to paycheck while worrying where her next meal would come from. She practiced her pronunciation for hours every day until she finally managed to rid herself of the Russian accent that linked her to her roots. She studied hard to get into the top schools, sometimes forgoing meals and sleep.

  The only part of her heritage she kept was her name.

  Isabel Rochev.

  It reminded her where she came from and to never return.

  She thought her future was set when, in her final year of business school, she'd managed to snag a prestigious internship at one of the top companies in Starling City, Queen Consolidated. It was here that she met Robert Queen. Sometimes, at night when the pain and hallucinations from the mirakuru surging through her blood kept her awake, she wondered how different her life might have been if she'd been posted to some other company.

  She hadn't expected to fall so deeply in love. When they'd first met, she'd been awed by the aura of power he exuded. He always seemed so confident, so sure of himself. She idolized him and strove to be as successful some day.

  It started out slow. He flirted with her occasionally. She'd thought nothing of it at first. He was naturally charismatic and with his wealth, many women flocked to him even though he was already married with 2 kids. But after a while, she noticed how differently he treated her compared to the others. He was gentle and kind and for the first time in her life, Isabel felt loved.

  She'd had several suitors over the years of course. She was confident enough in her looks to know that she was beautiful, even stunning when she made the effort to dress up. But she'd rejected all advances as she knew that to them, she was just another conquest. Another notch in their bedpost to brag about.

  Robert was different. Robert was special. She wasn't entirely sure she believed in soul mates but she knew, deep in her heart, that Robert was The One.

  The first time they'd slept together, it was 3 months into her internship. It had been their fourth or fifth dinner date. He'd offered to send her home as usual but this time, she'd finally plucked up the courage to invite him in. One thing led to another and he had ended up staying the night. She'd been awoken to the sound of him hurrying out in the wee hours of the morning. She was stunned and hurt but he muttered apologies into her hair as he kissed her goodbye, promising that he had meant it when he said that he loved her.

  So it continued for 6 more months. He stayed over 2 or 3 days every week, rushing back home before the sun rose. Every once in a while, he stayed away for a whole week when his wife got suspicious. She was content but tried to push away the niggling doubt in the back of her head that this would not last. Something would have to give, sooner or later.

  She knew it was a loveless marriage. They confided in each other and she learned that his wife had been guilty of cheating in the past. His daughter, or rather stepdaughter, Thea, was the result of Moira's affair with one of his best friends, Malcolm Merlyn. He pretended not to know and accepted and loved Thea as if she was his own. But Isabel knew he was unhappy. Though she tried not to argue too strongly, in fear of pushing him away, she urged him to get a divorce so they could be together. In public, they had to remain professional and appear to be nothing more than intern and CEO. She longed to be able to be seen hand in hand with him, to show him off to the few friends she had.

  The day he agreed to elope with her was the happiest day of her life. It was nearing the end of her 1 year internship and she feared that she would never be able to see him again. But one night, he's proposed after a simple home cooked dinner at her house. (She'd never been much of a housewife type but she'd done her best to please him, even as she feared their time together was nearing an end.) She's accepted joyously and they made plans to fly to Bali, ostensibly for a business trip but she knew it would be the glorious start of their new life together.

  It had all been going so well. They were in the airport waiting for their flight when his phone rang. She'd tried to persuade him not to pick up.

  "One last call," he'd promised. But that was the beginning of the end. He'd gone pale after learning that Thea had gotten seriously injured and was being sent to the hospital. She'd begged him not to go, that he was supposed to be leaving his old life for a new beginning with her.

  "I just want to see that she's okay. We'll postpone our flight till tomorrow. I'll be back, I promise."

  That was the last she saw or heard from him. The fairytale dream crumbled and gave way to a hideous nightmare. The next Monday, she'd showed up at work, after a tearful day waiting hopelessly for him at the airport, to be informed that her internship had been "regretfully suspended". A mere 2 weeks before it was due to end. She'd still gotten an A and a glowing commendation, as if it was his way of trying to correct his mistakes.

  But there are some wrongs that can never be righted, no matter the effort. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, so the saying goes, and rightfully so. From that moment, she promised to one day unleash her full fury on Robert and the whole Queen family. She would take back what was rightfully hers.

  Someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started off as a look into Isabel's thoughts towards Oliver, especially that whole wanting to kill Felicity thing near the final episodes but somehow expanded into her past with Robert Queen as well so I decided to split it up into 2 parts.
> 
> It was kind of hard to write, partly because the while Robert Queen/Isabel Rochev thing kind of squicks me out :x It still surprises me that there's no Robert Queen/Isabel Rochev, or even Robert Queen & Isabel Rochev tag at all though. haha
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading anyway. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism. Unbetaed. All mistakes are mine. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel relished the thought of carrying out her vengeance on Oliver Queen. After all, the sins of the father were the sins of the son. He would be an easy target to take down.
> 
> She hadn't counted on Felicity Smoak.

It had almost been too easy. When Slade had said that it was important that the first thing they did was to take over Queen Consolidated, she'd actually been worried for a minute. But they had bided their time, waiting for the right moment to strike. After the whole Undertaking fiasco, it seemed too good to be true. With Moira imprisoned, Thea too young and Oliver suddenly missing, it was all too easy for them to swoop in and buy up all the available shares at a dirt cheap price. Really, she didn't even have to sleep with anyone this time. 

Of course, then he'd come back and somehow managed to get the finances to buy the remaining shares, gaining a majority hold of the company. That...was not supposed to happen. But in the grand scheme of things, it was merely a minor hiccup. He'd already had a reputation as a playboy before the island and it didn't seem to have changed. Isabel relished the thought of carrying out her vengeance on Oliver Queen. After all, the sins of the father were the sins of the son. He would be an easy target to take down.

 

She hadn't counted on Felicity Smoak.

There had been rumours as soon as people found out she had been promoted straight to Executive Assistant from a lowly position in the IT Department. Isabel could see why. It was obvious in her first few days that she was an incompetent secretary. She was slow at taking notes and not very organized with his schedule. There were several occasions when she was kept waiting because Felicity had accidentally scheduled 2 meetings at the same timing. Isabel knew it was only a matter of time before Oliver moved on and hired an actual secretary once he was done with her. She had seen it happen so many times in other companies.

But Felicity was not like those other "secretaries". After a month, she was still around. And apparently a fast learner because she had soon picked up on her secretarial duties. Though she did have an odd aversion to making coffee. And she was always interrupting whenever Isabel tried to discuss company stuff with Oliver. It was starting to get on her nerves. Even she hadn't been that obvious and needy while trying to climb up the ranks at previous companies. It didn't just reflect badly on the company, it also left her with no opening to attempt to get Oliver to part with his remaining shares.

 

The final straw came when she caught wind of their attempt to go on a retreat to Russia at the last minute. Really, could they be any more obvious. Luckily, she was a fast packer and managed to intercept their flight just as they were preparing to take off. She felt proud as she saw their guilty faces. Going to visit Queen Consolidated's subsidiaries in Moscow indeed. Ha. 

And yet, he still insisted that there was nothing going on between them, even when she pointed out the obvious about Felicity's sudden promotion. It was mind-boggling. Could Oliver Queen be even more clueless than she thought? 

But it gave her an opening. She pretended to be weak and let her guard down. The Russian thing was a surprise though. Slade hadn't told her Oliver was fluent in the language. But it helped her. It didn't take long before he was dragging her to his hotel room. Isabel smirked. It had all been too easy. He muttered something about not having much time. She'd rolled her eyes at that. Though it still eluded her, at the time, his true motives for coming to Russia. 

He was apologetic while he dressed but smiled when she waved away his concerns. As he opened the door to leave, she heard a familiar voice call his name. Really? Her again? She'd dressed quickly then and headed to the door before Oliver could step out.

"I think she can take the night off, don't you?" She smirked at Felicity's shocked face and walked away. 

Turning back after a while, she saw that he...was staring at Felicity's retreating back. It irritated her though she didn't understand why. It was not like she was in love with Oliver. Not after what his father had done to her. Perhaps she was tired of being the third wheel all the time. To always be the extra third party in a relationship. She scoffed at the thought. Perhaps returning to Russia was making her sentimental again. It was a good thing they were nowhere near her hometown. She looked forward to flying back to America early the next day. She needed to focus on her mission. There was no time for sentiment. 

 

After that, she bided her time again, waiting for the right opportunity to turn up. Slade had told her all about Oliver's "nightly activities" shortly after her return from Moscow. It all made sense then. Why Oliver and Felicity, and that black driver of his, spent so much time together. She should have known the whole nightclub thing was a front. She'd already seen through his rich idiot persona. She knew he was much smarter and sharper than he led on.

When Slade abducted Thea, it was the perfect opportunity. Oliver was so distracted, he actually gave her temporary CEO status without a second thought. It was almost too easy. She called an emergency board meeting and soon, Queen Consolidated was hers permanently. The look on Oliver's face when he found out that he had lost his family's company, and later when he's learnt of her relationship with his father, it was all the reward she needed. 

 

She hadn't planned on dying. 

Slade had immediately saved her life with his Mirakuru-infused blood. She knew that it left those infected with hallucinations, she'd seen Slade talking to thin air on several occasions. Slade never said who he saw but she had heard him mutter the name "Shado" occasionally. She was smart enough never to ask. 

For some reason, her hallucinations manifested as a smirking Felicity Smoak, gloating that she had everything Isabel always wanted. Working side by side with the man she loved, spending every waking moment together. 

"You might have won the battle, but the war's not over yet," the hallucination smiled a distinctly un-Felicity-like grin. "We'll get Queen Consolidated back and destroy you and Slade."

"Queen Consolidated is rightfully mine! And I will never let anyone take it away again!"

Isabel didn't remember getting out of bed though when she woke up the next morning, most of her possessions were smashed or lying in ruins on the ground. Isabel swore then, the next time she met Felicity would be the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with this short twoshot. Man, I thought Laurel Lance was unpopular, I guess no one wants to read about Isabel Rochev. hahaha The difference in page views is really....
> 
> But I'm thankful to those who've left kudos and even subscribed. I hope you like this ending. 
> 
> The inspiration for writing this was really that part in Stephen Amell's panel at the Phoenix Comicon where someone asked him why Isabel wanted to kill Felicity so badly   
> http://olicityislove.tumblr.com/post/88201939512/hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned-and-i-feel
> 
> And yea it was supposed to be a oneshot but the backstory with Robert Queen got longer than I thought so it got its own chapter.
> 
> Unbeta-ed. All mistakes are mine, Please feel free to give constructive criticism. Hope you enjoyed the story even though Isabel is not the most popular character X)


End file.
